Counter mechanism.



Y0.1. FANCHER.

yCOUNTER MEGHANiSM.

APPLICATioN FILED JANS. 1914.

1 14 1 ,623 Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS*SHEET l.

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l Man/69,4%' M Anl Sz/ @www BY A TTORNEYS 6.1. FANCHER.

' COUNTER MEcHANlsM.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.8. I9I4. 1,141,623.-

Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W I TNESSES:

NVENTOR.

lpm- BY A TTORNEYJ.

meren STATES PATENT oFFicn.

CHARLES FANCHER, 0F THOMPSONVILLE, GONNECTICURASSIGNOR TO THE EXTENSIVEMANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORA- TIN F NEW YORK'aCOUNTER MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 1, 1915.

@riginal application filed .Tune 21, 19M, Serial No. 834.395. Dividedand this application le January 8,

191e. Serial No. 811,087.

,To all whom it may coi-zoem 13e it lmown that l, @Hennes J. Ferreries,a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Thompsonville, inthe county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented new anduseful Counter Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for automaticallycounting units, such as postage stamps, as they are actuatedthrough amachine, such as a stamp affixer, in the process of separating andaffixing them to objects or-articles, such as envelope, and consists ofcertain peculiar parts and combinations of parts, all as hereinafter setforth.

This application is a divisional part of my application for UnitedStates Letters Patent, filed June 2l, i911, Serial No. fi.

Heretofore mechanism has been provided to record the stroke of a machinewhich delivers units, as, for example, in certain stamp aflixers, wherethe strokes of the plungers or other operating parts are recorded,regardless of the result produced by such strokes, that is to say,'arecord is made of each complete operative pulsation, as well when nostamp is aihxed, or even present in the machine, as when the actualatiiXing of a stamp is brought about. This is a serious defect in such amachine, because of the liability that the machine will be operated whenunsupplied with si amps, or when it fails to operate properly anddeposit or aliiX a stamp, and so to produce an inaccurate record. Myinvention obviates this defect entirely, since no registration is'madeof the machine pulsations unless a unit, which the machine is designedto handle, is actually advanced to af'rixing position, no matter howoften the machine may be operated when unprovided with units, or When,by any possible chance, there is failure on the part of the mechanismto-advance a unit, and this, coupled with the positive and accuratecounting of the units which are advanced and as they are advanced, isthel primary object of my invention. This counting mechanism, in a word,is under the control ofthe units themselves,vand not subject to othermachine elements independent of said units.

Other objects and advantages will appear :in the course of thefollowingdescription.

A. preferred form of embodiment of the invention, whereby l attain theobjects and secure the advantages of the same, is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and l will proceed to describe the invention withreference to the latter, although it is to be understood that the form,construction, arrangement, etc., of the parts and members in variousaspects are not material and may be modified Without departure from thespirit of the invention.

in the embodiment of the invention as herein illustrated il haverepresented the saine in connection with or as applied to orA formingpart of a machine for afiixing postage stamps to envelope and otherwrappers for mail matter, and l will describe it as thus illustrated,without, however, limiting myself in any way 'to such application, sincethe subject matter of this application is wholly or in part adapted forlother purposes and may be put to other uses, as before intimated. Thecounting mechanism is intimately connected or associated with certainfeeding and other elements, which in and by themselves form the Subj ectmatter of the hereinbefore-mentionea application, or of United StatesLetters Patent, No. l,077,954. and it is necessary to include hereinsuch elements, there being close combinations in some cases and need fortheir presence in order to obtain a clear understanding of function inother cases.

in the drawings, in which lille numerals designate like parts throughoutthe several views, Figure l is a side elevation of a stamp affiner inwhich is embodied the aforesaid form of my invention, the major portionof the front side plate being broken away and the severalparts andmembers being normally or initially disposed; Fig. 2, an enlarged topplan ofcertain portions of the counter or counter-releasing mechanismand the feed :mechanism which, if not a part of the former mechanism, isvery closely allied therewith; F ig. 3, an enlarged bottom plan of thehanger and parts of the mechanism supported thereby or mounted therein;Fig. l, an enlarged detail, in partial section, showing thecounter-operating arm and the releasing mechanism therefor; Fig. 5, afront side elevation of the parts in Fig. 2,

2 which extends above and has its active oroperative end inside of saidcase. The plunger, in practice, is provided at the base withstamp-pressing members, which are not herein shown, as they are notrequired for a full and clear understanding of the present invention.The counter-releasing portion of the counter mechanism is indirectlyoperated by the plunger 2, provided a stamp be advanced, excepting 'whenthe stamps are initially introduced into the feeding and countermechanism, an independent and direct manual action on the part of theoperator then being required, while the mechanism which does the actualcounting is more directly operated by said plunger.

ln my description'of the counter mechanism and of the machine as awhole, including the operations of the same, it will be assumed thatgenerally and for the sake of convenience, the terms front and back, orequivalent expressions, as applied to said mechanism and machinelongitudinally, re-

fer respectively to the left-hand and righthand ends of suchmechanismand machine, and'that the same or equivalent terms orexpressions, as applied to said mechanism and machine transversely,refer respectively to vthe sides of the same which are nearer theobserver and to the opposite' sides thereof.

Referring to Fi g. 1, 1t will be observed that the. case lis provided atthe rear end with a door 3, which may be fastened with a lock and key,the latter appearing at 4. A par- Y tition 5 extends downward from thetop of the case about midway between the ends thereof and curvesrearwardly to form in saidfcase a compartment or chamber 6 for a stamproll 7. The rest of the interior of the case is open and containspractically all of the operating parts and members, such open spacebeing designated by the numeral .8. The space or compartment 8 is notonly in front of the partition 5, but also extends below it andcommunicates with the stamproll.chamber 7 behind the bottom edge of saidpartition. A counter 9, vof any usual and approved variety, is fastenedagainst the inside of the front end of the ca se 1, and

there is a slot or sight opening, indicated by dotted lines at 10, insuch end, of suliicient size to enable the iguresof said counter to beseen from loutside of said case. The

counter 9 has a shaft 111 ,for operating the counter mechanism proper,as 1s customary in devices of this kind, and said shaft protrudes fromone end of said counter. In the top of the case 1, forward of thepartition 5, is an opening for the plunger 2, which extends through suchopening and operates up and down therein. A vertical slot, indicated bydotted lines 12, is made in the front w-a'll of the plunger opening toadmit of the passage of a pin 13 set in the front of the plunger 2. Awater tank or reservoir 14, having a wick 15 extending out of the topadjacent to the front end thereof, is located in that part of thecompartment 8 which extends under the partition. 5. rlhe stamp roll 6 ismounted on a roller 16, which in turn is loosely mounted on a stud 17carried .by an arm 18 that is pivoted at 191to the front side of thecase 1. An unwound portion from the roll 6 appears at 2O in the firstview. It may be noted here that the roll 6 consists of a perforatedstrip of stamps wound with the adhesive surface inside, as supplied bythe Post @Hice Department.

Proceeding now to aV further description of the counter mechanism, andhaving special reference to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the shaft 11,of the counter 9, is provided on its exposed terminal with an angularoperating arm 21. This arm is rigidly secured on the shaft 11, and themajor portion of the same is behind the vertical plane of said shaft.The arm 21 at its free end normally rides on a rollr22 which is mountedon a stud 23 that projects inwardlyfrom the rear arm of a pairdesignated by-the numeral 24. Said arm, when free, is forced onto' theroll 22 by means of a spring 25 which encircles the shaft 11 and has oneterminal bearing against the front end of the case 1 and the otherterminal on the upper edge of the arm. A hook 26 is formed on the freeend of the arm 21 above the part that is designed to ride on the roll22. The parts 22, 23 and 24 are indicated by dot-and-dash lines in Fig.4..

Mounted to rock on an inwardly-projecting fixed stud 2'1?,set in theback side of the case 1, is a detent 28 for the arm 21. The detent28-depends from the stud or pivot 27 and has a hook 29 at its basearranged to talte'position in the path of the hook 26 when the arm 21 isoccupying an approximately horizontal position, there being, however,enough clearance between the two hooks to enable said detent to swingclear of said arm when occasion requires; and said detent is providedwith a long tail-piece 30 that is'oi'fset towardthe longitudinal centerof the machine and sweeps downwardly to the right to have its freeterminal inserted in a socket 31 at the forward end of acounter-releasing member 32, a loose slip connection being thus formed.A spring 33 has one endinserted in or otherwise fastened to the stud`27,is coiled on said stud, and has its opposite end carried over the top ofthe tailpiece at or adjacent to the junction of said tail-piece with thedetent 28 and behind the vertical plane of said stud, and so normallyretains said detent with its hook 29 in the path ot the hook 26, and thecounter-releasing member or counter-releaser 32 in oper ative position,as will presently be more ully explained.

The mechanism, of which the counter-releaser 32 forms a part, includesmuch of the mechanism by means of which the stamp strip 2G is fedforward, the two mechanisms being very intimately and closely relatedand connected and having double 'functions at several points, hence thedescription of one necessarily includes the description of the other.These mechanisms or this mechanisni, whichever way the matter may beviewed, will neat be considered in detail. A hanger 34, in the form ofan open-ended trough-like structure, is provided with two pairs ofAoverhanging ears 35 and 36, by means oi which said hanger is fastenedto the front and bach sides of the case i abovev the reservoir i4. Theears 35 and 36 spring from the upper edges of the sides of the hanger 34and extend outwardly and downwardly so as to leave spaces between themand said sides. lin the bottom of the hanger 34 are a central slot 37and two parallel flanking slots 38. Mounted crosswise ci the hanger inthe sides thereof are two rods or spindles 39 and 40, the latter beingin adj rance of the :former and having protruding terminals whichprevent said spindle 40 from getting out of place, owing to the nearnessof the sides of the case l, and also serve another purpose as willpresently appear. Mounted loosely on the spindle 39 in the centerthereofv is a back-stop finger 41 which .I

has a sharp lower terminal that projects through and below the hangerslot 37. The

ringer 4l is pressed downwardly and rearwardly by means of a spring 42coiled around the spindle 39 and bearing at one end on the 'liront edgeof said nger and at the other end en the rear edge of a lifter 43.

- Loose on the spindle 39 in front of the finger 4i is acennter-releaser return arm 44. The 44 entends to the left from thespindle 39 and has a forwardly-extending lug 45 at its iii-ont end. Thearm 44 is borne downward by means of a spring 46 coiled around thespindle 39 and bearing at one end on the upper edge or" said arm and atthe other end on the aforesaid rear edge of the lifter 43. Thecounter-releaser 32 is pivoted at 47 against the back side of the arm 44in line with the iinger 4l. The counter-releaser 32 has the socket 3l atits front end'7 also a serrated base or foot part, as shown at 48, thatis below the pivot 47 and extends normally through and below the slot37, and a forwardly-extending lug 49 between said pivot and said socket.rlChe lifter 43 is a horizontal member having upwardly-projecting endpieces which are loosely mounted on the spindle 39, and one of which,the front one, is extended above such spindle to form a handle 50. Aspiral-spring 5l, stronger than the springs 42 and 46, is wound on thespindle 39 and arranged with one end bearing beneath the spindle 40 andthe other endv on the ront'edge of the lifter 43, with the result thatsaid lifter is held normally by said spring 5l, in the position shown inFig. 5, with the iront edge of the bottom of said lifter against theiloor of the hanger 34.

.The lifter 43 is so constructed and mounted that its rear edge clearsthe door of the f hanger when said litter is swung forward. Except whenotherwise supported, the arm 44 rests, ander the iniluence or the spring46, on the pirotally-attached counter-releaser 32 and the latter restson the bottom of a tray 52, as appears in ig. T he arm'44 is beneath thelug 49 and the downward movement of the socket terminal oiithecounter-reieaser 32 is limited by said lug and arm. A resetter for thecounter-releaser 32, and which is also a stamp-ieed-operating member,coinprising two arms 53 which are'rigidly connected at their left-handends by means of a rod 53a, is mounted on the spindle 40, the latterpassing through such arms in advance or to the left of their right-handends. The construction and arrangement of parts are such that the rod53a is inoperative position relative to the Wick or moistener 15. rIheaforesaid resetter is forced downward by means of springs 54-54 coiledaro .1nd the spindle 40 and bearing with opposite ends respectively onthe upper edges of the arms 53 and beneath pins 55-55 that projectinwardly from the sides of the hanger 34. When released to the springs54, the arms 53 retain the rod 53l on the moistener 15.

Pins 56-56 project laterally from the rightn hand ends of the arms 53,and loosely mounted at their rear ends on these pins outside of saidarms are two generally arcuate jaws 57. The jaws 57 have inwardlydirected lugs 58-58 on their front terminals, which lugs extend abovethe arms 53, and the bottom edges of said jaws are serrated, as shown at59. IThe serrated portions of the jaws 57 extend into and through theslots 38 and bear on the tray 52, except at such times as they arewithdrawn from such position. The jaws 57 are forced downward andrearward by means of 'springs 60-60 coiled on the pins 56 and bearingwith opposite ends respectively on the edges of said jaws, which aredirectly in front and below the horizontal plane of said pins, andbeneath the coils of the springs 54 on the spindle 40. The serrations orteeth 59 have their sharp edges directed to the left, while theserrations or teeth 48 have their sharp edges kdirected to the right,thereason for Awhich will appear directly. The lug 45 eXtends over thefront arm 53 toenable the arm 44 tobe raised by said arm 53.

The tray 52, like the hanger 34, is an open-ended trough, and it isadapted with its sides to fit the sides of said hanger inside of theears and 36, and to be so attached to said hanger that there is a s aceleft between the fioors of the two mem ers, as can be plainly seen at61, in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. The tray 52 is supported from the hanger 34 bymeans of the protruding terminals of the spindle 40, which are receivedin notches (not shown) in the front edges of the sides of said tray, anda hook 62 formed on the upper edge of the-back side of said tray andarranged to 'fit over the top of the ear 36 that springs from the backside of said hanger. A latch 63, pivoted at 64 to the back side of thetray 52, is provided to engage the aforesaid ear. The latch 63 isnormally held in locking engagement with the ear just referred to bymeans of a spring G5 coiledV on the pivot 64 and bearing with oneterminal against the underside of the latch handle and with the otherterminal on a pin 66 which is set in the tray behind said pivot. Thussupported the tray is removable from the hanger.

The front end of the floor of the tray 52 is serrated and bowed upwardlyslightly to 4 afford means for catching and holdingthe stamps at thetime they are torn apart, such serration appearing at 67.

The operation of the combined counterreleasing and stamp-feedingmechanism is thus explained. The lifter 43 is swung forward on thespindle 39, through the medium of the handle 50, to raise the sharp endof the finger 41 and the serrated portions of the counter-releaser 32and the jaws 57 upward in the slots 37 and 38 and thus clear the passage61 for the introduction of the stamp strip 20. The elevation ofthe partsjust mentioned is edected by reason of the fact that the front edge ofthe lifter 43, when swung forward, encounters the adjacent edges of thefinger 41l and the jaws 57, which swing forward and upward on thespindle 39 and the pivots 56 respectively, and against the resiliency ofthe springs 42 and 60, respectively, and by reason of the further factthat the front edge of said finger encounters the adjacent or contiguousedge of the counter-releaser 32, which rocks on the pivot 64, againstthe'resiliency of the spring 33, into the desired position. Theparts,including those the operation lof which has not yet been explained,are-now disposed as shown in Fig. 6. Upon the release of the handle 50,the displaced parts are immediately returned to their'norinal positionsby their respective springs, the spring 57 being of sufficient strengthto overcome the resistance offered by the fiancee springs 42 and 46.When the counter-releaser 32 is rocked into the position as representedin F ig. 6, the tail-piece 30 and the detent 28 are actuated with it,rocking on the stud 27, so that the hook 29 is taken out of the path ofthe hook 26,*but at this time such action has no signicance, beingmerely incidental to the operation of the connected parts. The functionof the finger 41'is to prevent backward movement on the part of thestamp strip 20 in the tray 52.

The jaws 57 engage with their serrated edges 59 the stamps in thepassage 61 and advance them when the arms 53 are so "rocked on thespindle 40 as to elevate the ing motion forward on the tray 52 or on astamp or stamps therein is then imparted to such edges. rlfhe jaws 57slide backward, upon the rocking of the arms 53 in the oppositedirection or back to normal position, or the serrated edges 59 slidebackward at this time and take position in readinessl to further advancethe stamps at the subsequent upward tilt of the front terminals of saidarms, and it is then that the stop finger 41l becomes effective, sincesaid jaws necessarily drag on the stamps when returning to activeposition. The lugs 58 prevent the jaws 57 from dropping too far when thetray 52 is removed.

The parts are so timed in their respective operations that thecounter-releasing mechanisin 'is operated once for each stampthat passesunder the counter-releaser 32, or, in other words, each stamp advancedto be affixed is counted or registered. No registration is made of anymovement ofthe machine or its vparts without the actual advaneeinent ofa stamp to afiixing position. To this end, that is, to preventregistration of the operations of the machine when no stamp is actuallydelivered, the detent 28 is provided, which detent must be moved away.from the arm 21 in order that the act of registration may vbeperformed, and this latter` can be done only when a stamp passes forwardunder the counter-releaser 32 and at no other time. The forward passageof a stamp 1n the tray 52 under the serrated part 48 of thecounter-releaser 32 actuates such part forward and. so rocks saidvcounter-releaser on the pivot 47 and throws upward the socket 31,A thelatter carries with it the tail-piece 30 and thus swings the detent 28,on the stud 27 and against the resiliency of the spring 33, rearwardly,and thehook 29 is withdrawn -fromV the path of Ythe hook 26 and nolonger actsin the capacity of an obstacle or obstruction to theoperation of the counter 9. The counter-releaser 32 is now vout ofoperative position and must be reset,y

in fact the counter-releasing mechanism as the spring 25, and operatesthe countermechanism to register the stamp carrieddown by the grippingjaws; and when' said arms 24 swing upward, under the induence of thespring 81, said arm 21 is rocked upward, against the resiliency of saidspring 25, into position to operate said counter mechanism at the nextdownward sweep of said arms 2li.

'lhe plunger 2 is forced downward by hand, and in its descent saidplunger tiret closes the upper jaw 71 on to the lower jaw 69 through themedium of the cross-head 74- and the links 7 6, then, through the samemedium and by reason of the contact of said upper jaw with said lowerjaw, forces said jaws downward and forward together, and, iinally,through the medium of the rolls 78 -which advance on to thecam-projections .70 forces the arm 2d still farther forward andseparates said jaw 69 from said jaw 71. Meanwhile the arms 58 have withtheir front ends and the rod 53a and under the influence of the springs54C followed down on the jaw 71 until said jaw passes away and leavessaid rod resting on the moistener 15, and they counter-operating arm 21has followed down on the roll 22,

`unless held up by the detent28.

this part of the operation; and at the same time the roll 22 returns thearm 21 to its former position, provided said last mentioned arm followeddown on said roll.

As hereinbefore intimated, a presser for the stamp, after it has beendeposited on the envelop or other object, is provided at the base of theplunger 2, but there appearing to be no need of a disclosure of the samehere, such presser is omitted from both the drawings and specification.

A stop or check device is provided for the plunger 2, for the purpose ofpreventing said plunger, after beingvstarted in either direction,fromlbeing impelled in a contrary direction until the full strokeis-made. Such device comprises an oscillatory lock-plate or clutch 86.This clutch has an opening for the plunger, is arranged transversely inthe lateral edges of the clutch 86, and one of them is shown at v87, inFig. 1, while at 88, in Figs. 1 and t, appears one of theelongated-openings tor the trunnions. The back angular head91 at the topto engage the y bearing 89.v The pin 18 is above and the cross-head 74below the clutch 86; and the arrangement of parts is such that said pinencounters said clutch from above, just before the plunger arrives atthe end of its down stroke, turns said clutch downward, and forces thebearing 89 below the head 91 of the spring 90, or below the apex of saidhead, by the time said plunger completes said stroke; and saidcross-head encounters said clutch from below, just before said plungerarrives at the end of its up stroke, turns said clutch upward, andforces said bearing above said apex, by the time said plunger completessaid last-mentioned stroke.

Beyond the following supplementary statements, nothing more need beadded to whatu has gone before in regard vto theoperation of the machineas a whole or `of that part thereof which comprises thel presentinvention.

llnitially the loose end of the stamp strip 20 is led down from thefront of the stamp roll 6, behind the bottom edge of the partition 5, tothe floor of the tray 52, and pushed through the passage 61 until anarrow portion of such end projects onto the working -edge of the lowerjaw 69, the handle 50 having meanwhile been pressed down to clear saidpassage. As soon as the stamp strip is thus placed, the handle 50 isreleased and the finger l-l, counter-releaser 82 and aws 57A permittedto move down on to said strip, the engagement being with the ungummedsurface of the stripfwhich is uppermost in the tray.

, When the plunger 2 descends, the upper jaw 71 is closed'onto the lowerjaw 69 and the advance edgeof the first stamp in the strip is tightlygripped between said jaws, and the rod 53a is lowered onto the moistener15 and onto said stamp which is between said moistener and said rod. Asthe jaws 69 and 7l continue to descend, impelled by the plunger, thestamp in the grip of said jaws is drawn by the latter over the moistenerand downward, and the strip 20 moves with said stamp until theperforated portion between the `first and second stamps reaches theserrated edge 67, vwhen said first stamp is torn from the rest of thestrip. As the stamp is thus drawn forward, it actuates thecounter-releaser 32, which is resting on ias said stamp, tio-withdrawthe detent 28 from the descent of the plunger, is the backward j settingof the stamp-feed jaws 57 to locate them in position further to advancethe strip v20, the linger 41 preventing said strip now the leadingstamp, out over the jaw 69 Waiting to receive it.

What li claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. Mechanism, of the class described, comprising a counter, operatingmeans for such counter, means to render said counter-operating meansinactive, and means operated by an advancing unit to release saidcounteroperating means.

2. Mechanism, of the class described, comprising a counter, operatingmeans for such counter, unit-actuating means, means to render saidcounter-operating means inactive, and means, operated by an objectadvanced by said unit-actuating means, torelease said counter-operatingmeans.

3. Mechanism, of the class described, comprising feeding mechanism,transfer meehanism, a counter, locking and releasing means for suchcounter, and aplunger arranged and adapted to operate-both oi saidmechanisms and said counter when unlocked and to reset said locking andreleasing means.

e. Mechanism, of the class described, comprising means to detach a unitfrom a dexible strip, coacting means to count the same,counter-controllinof means, operated by the strip when advanced andmeans to advance the strip to present another unit for detachment and toreset said counter-controlling means, said advancing means beingcontrolled by said detaching means.

5. Mechanism, of the class described, coinprising a supporting frameprovided with a counter, a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said frame,coperating spring-pressed gripping jaws mounted to oscillate in saidframe and operatively connected with said plunger, counter-operatingmeans dependent for 'action on the action of said jaws, and flexiblestripor unit-feeding mechanism and connterreleasing mechanism Withinsaid frame, said feeding mechanism being operated by the gripping-jawmechanism., and said counter-releasing mechanism being operated by astrip or unit in the grasp of the jaws, and reset .by said gripping-jawmechanism.

6. The combination, in mechanism of the class described, With membersarranged to form a passageway for a flexible strip of units, a counter,and a member adapted when free to actuate said counter, of a detentmember adapted normally to prevent said counter-actuating member fromoperating, and means extending into said passageway, onto the uppersurface of such strip or a unit thereof, to be frictionally engaged andoperated by such strip or unit, to withdraa7 said detent member fromdetaining position relative to said counter-actuating member, when thestrip or unit moves forward.

7. ln mechanism, of the class described, iiexible nnit strip-feeding andcounter-releasing mechanism comprising, With members arranged to form apassageway for the strip, snrface engaging means extending into suchpassageway for suoli strip to advance the latter intermittently, andsurface-contacting means extending into such passage- Way to be engagedand operated by such strip or a unit thereorl each time it advances.

8. ln mechanism, of the class described, counterreleasing mechanism, forflexible units from a strip, comprising, with members arranged to fornia passageway for the strip, means extending into said passageway to beengaged and operated by such strip or a unit thereof when it movesforward, and oscillatory means to reset automatically suchfirst-mentioned means after being so operated.

9. The combination, in mechanism of the class described, with anoscillatory stripor unitcontacting counter releasing member, ormanually-operated means to move said member out of operative position.

l. The combination, in mechanism of the class described, with anoscillatory strip or unit-contacting lifter, of a manually-operatedpivotally-mounted counter-releaser arranged in the path of 'said lifterand adaptedto be actuated out of operative position thereby.

l1. `The combination, in mechanism of the class described, Withpassageway-forming members, of a spring-pressed rockin@ member, arocking arm having a part which entends into the path of said rockingmember, a counter-releaser pivotally connected with said rocking arm andoperating in the passagevvay formed by said first-mentioned members,said connter-releaser being adapted to bear on the bottompassageway-forming member and to support said arm with the aforesaidpart thereof out of Contact with said rocking member, and means tooperate said rocking member against the force of its spring, and,through the medium of said arm and said part, to elevate said arm andreset said counter-releaser.

12. The combination, in mechanism of the class described, with acounter-operating arm, oi a detent arranged normally to prevent said armfrom operating, passagewayforming members, and an oscillatory memberoperatively connected with said detent and having a part to extend intothe passageway formed by said first-mentioned members. c

13. lThe combination, in mechanism of the class described, with acounter-operating arm, of a detent arranged normally to prevent said armfrom operating, passageway;

forming members, a spring-pressed rockingmember, a rocking arm having apart which extends into the path of said rocking member, an oscillatorycounter-releaser pivotally attached to said rocking arm and operativelyconnected With said detcnt, said counter-releaser having a part whichextends into the passageway formed by said iirstmentioned members, andbeing adapted to bear on the bottom passagevvayforming member and tosupport said arm with the aforesaid part thereof out of contact withsaid rocking member, and means to operate said rockingy member againstthe force oit its spring, and, through the medium of said arm and saidpart, to elevate said arm and reset said counter-releaser.

M. The combination, in mechanism of the class described, With asupporting trame, a

reciprocable plunger lmounted to operate in said frame, and a grippingjaw having arms pivotally attached to said frame and springpressed inone direction, said arms being voperatively connected with said plunger,of

counter mechanism Within said frame and provided with an operatingmember in the path of one of said arms, said member being adapted tomove with said arms to operate said counter mechanism, When said armsare caused to make their active stroke, and to be returned to initialposition -`by the operating arm therefor, when said arms return toinitial position.

15. Mechanism, ci the class described, comprising, with advancingmembers for flexible units, a counter, counter-operating meanscoperating With said advancing members, and means toprevent such counterfrom registering except when a unit is actually advanced by saidmembers, said last-mentioned means being dependent for itscounter-releasing action upon direct contact With a dexible unit orunits advanced by said member.

@HRLES J. CHER Witnesses:

F. A. CUTTER, A, (C. Famnnns.

